


Alleyways and Waterfalls

by sokki09



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Force Bond (Star Wars), Naboo - Freeform, Post-TLJ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-03-02 23:43:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13328925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sokki09/pseuds/sokki09
Summary: Prompt fromReyloscum:"Rey rounds a corner and suddenly kylo is there through the force bond. And she’s like, oh my god here we go again. And they’re talking and rey’s all like well at least you can’t see my surroundings, and kylo’s face just sort of drops in an amused unbelievable look and he’s like REY I’M REALLY HERE WE ARE IN THE SAME LOCATION U CRACK HEAD"--Rey and Ben meet in person on Naboo, and a field trip to varykino ensues.





	1. alleyways

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reyloscum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyloscum/gifts).



> Some notes:  
> \--Rey and Ben are lowkey out of character, like I think rey is a bit more modern-au-rey-ish and ben is well, not kylo ren thats for sure. Its sorta like smuggler ben, he’s roguish like his old man.  
> \--This is set a few years after TLJ so Rey and Ben have established a bit of a mutual understanding, but they always seem to argue, those crazy kids  
> \--This being said, they know each other a bit better and don’t seem to be complete enemies (more like two neighbors in an apartment complex forced to interact but realize they aren’t so bad).  
> \--Personally, I think the whole force bond thing is sorta like force ghosts where its an apparition, not blue and ghost like, but they are fuzzy and a bit translucent when they see each other through the bond. Yeah they touched hands, but I feel like unless its done that deliberately (and that dramatically lmao), they can sorta only do what kylo did with luke, where he put his saber through him but nothing happened. Does that make sense? Idk, its 1 am and i’m freezing, will winter ever end?

She didn't know what she was doing.

 

The mission was a success; she had collected the information about potential allies and investors from a source on Naboo. These sorts of political missions were usually General Organa's type of thing, but the older woman had fallen ill in the last week, and she had asked Finn to go in her place. Finn was surprisingly good at these sorts of tasks, and alongside Poe, Rose, and Rey, he was easily able to get the information, as well as persuade a few extra investors, all before dinner on their first day on Naboo.

 

The four of them had decided to go out to celebrate, which meant Rose would be going off to find wherever any animals were being kept, and Finn and Poe got some time off to relax and enjoy the busy hustle and bustle of the streets of Naboo. Rey originally tagged along with Finn and Poe, before stopping at a vendor that was selling a beautiful gold necklace. Rey wasn't all that into jewelry; it all was such fashion over function, but the golden pendant had caught her eye, and she wistfully stared at it for a moment, before turning around.

 

Finn and Poe had already moved on to a few other stalls, laughing and hanging all over each other, like any young couple in love would. Rey watched on for a moment, as they exchanged loving smiles and light laughter. She felt their happiness, radiating off of them. She wondered if she would ever have that. Before she could stop herself, she was reminded that she almost  _ did  _ have that.

 

And so she ran, the opposite direction, into an alleyway. She could still see her two friends, but they couldn't see her.

 

The alleyway had a musty smell from being so close to the river, but Rey didn't mind. The water, the humidity; it was all a blessing to see with her own two eyes, every single time. She breathed in and out, in and out, letting the light of the sun that streamed down onto the planet wash over her, instantly calming herself.

 

It was times like this when she was thankful for the Force, thankful that she could slip into a meditative state and for a moment, simply exist in the universe. No friends, no thoughts, nothing. Just her, and the Force. It brought a small smile to her face. 

 

She was preparing herself to go back out onto the busy street, when she felt a familiar presence.

 

She was starting to get used to these unexpected connections; it was always strange to see what mood that Ben would arrive in. Sometimes they seemed like lifelong friends, updating each other on their thoughts, their lives, and other times it seemed like they were going to rip each other's throats out if they could. 

 

He seemed to be in a good mood today; his face revealed that he was surprised to see her, but it wasn't unwelcome. 

 

"Ben." She said, unsure of what to say. 

 

"Rey." He mimicked, a small smirk crossing his face. 

 

"Have you thought about what I said?" She asks, the sound of hope dusting her words as she attempts to strike up an all too familiar conversation.

 

His smile vanished, "Rey, I've told you time and again, I can't join the Resistance. I won't, I refuse."

 

"Will you at least leave the First Order?" 

 

"And let that weasel, Hux, take over? The galaxy might spontaneously combust if he is in charge." Ben scoffs. "But you could join me, and we could fix the galaxy."

 

Rey huffs. This seems to be how all of their conversations go.

 

"I can't leave my friends!" She exclaims.

 

This time Ben lets out a huff of annoyance. He seems to have noticed the pattern, too. Their conversation stalls for a moment, and Rey wonders if the connection will cut off. A part of her hopes it doesn't. She stares at him for a moment, his deep brown clothing alluding to the fact that he is not on his usual command ship. 

 

He leans against the beige brinks, “So what are you doing on Naboo? More specifically, why are you hiding in an alleyway? This doesn’t seem very Jedi-like.”

 

Rey scowls at him, before her eyes turn wide with alarm, “How do you know I’m on Naboo? Can you see my surroundings?”

 

Ben gives her a confused look for a split second before humor spreads across his face. “Oh, Rey, I can see  _ everything _ .”

 

His easy going smirk sets Rey on edge;  _ how dare he be so candid about this? _

 

“That’s not fair! All I see is you!” Rey pouts, crossing her arms in a defensive position, leaning against the wall. 

 

“Rey,” He says, a hint of a smile still gracing his face, "Reach out."

 

She closes her eyes for a moment, reaching out with the force, searching for Ben. His presence was strong, just like it was on the Supremacy, but all she can find are his feelings of amusement and awe. She opens her eyes, to see him staring down at her, a gleeful look dancing it's way across his features.  _ Why is this so funny to him? _

 

She still can't see anything other than him, and her patience is wearing thin. For a scavenger who waited around for parents that were never going to show up, Rey was proud of her skills when it came to waiting, but it seemed that whenever Ben Solo was involved, her patience wore thin.

 

"I still can only see you." She tells him, staring up at him curiously.

 

He rolls his eyes, before saying, "Rey, _reach_ _out_ , literally."

 

She is confused for a moment;  _ how could she reach out in any way other than through the Force? _ Then she recalls that fateful first lesson with Luke Skywalker, when she had literally reached her hand out, only to be teased with a blade of grass.

 

Rey wonders what type of game Ben is playing, and why he decided to remind her of his dead Uncle. She recalls one night while she was on Coruscant, telling Ben about what Luke was like in his old age. 

 

She thrusts her hand into the open air in front of her, punching Ben's arm, hard. He recoils, and lets out an " _ oof _ " sound, doubling over and glaring at Rey.

 

"Did I just hit you?" She asked, before carefully placing her hand on his shoulder, testing out to see if he was really there, " _ Ben _ ?"

 

"In the flesh, sweetheart." He says painfully, rubbing his arm. 

 

"Sorry," Rey replies, sheepishly, taking a step back, into her alcove. "Why are you on Naboo?"

 

Ben thinks for a moment before replying, "I have some business here." 

 

Rey narrows her eyes, "Vague."

 

"Aren't I always?"

 

She rolls her eyes.

 

"So why are  _ you _ here?" He asks. "Looking for some pretty Naboo dresses? They are known for their clothing."

 

Rey glances out behind Ben, looking out on the street. "No, I'm here with my friends. We finished a mission sooner than we thought...." She looks back over to him, "I don't think I should be telling you all this."

 

He nods, his lips pressed into a thin line. It's times like this when they both remember that they are supposed to be enemies, supposed to be on opposite sides of war. He looks out to where she was looking before, seeing Finn and Poe. They are still having a lovely time, Rey sees, as they are trying on silly hats and joking around with the vendor. 

 

She lets out a small sigh, small enough that she hopes Ben can't hear it, but it looks back at her, and she knows that her emotions are written all across her face. 

 

She wants that. She can't hide it anymore. She wants to be fond of someone, and give them affection, and be given affection in return. She may have found a family, a home, in the Resistance, but at times, she still felt the loneliness that nearly consumed her on Jakku.

 

Her gaze shifts back to Ben, as he takes a hold of her hand.

 

"Come with me." He says, "Just for the afternoon. I want to show you something. Then, you can go back to your failing Resistance, and I will go back to the luxuries of the First Order."

 

She gives him a blank look, but doesn't remove her hand from his hold, "Is this just another one of your little schemes to get me to join you?"

 

He smiles, "Yes, but this time I just want you to join me for the afternoon. That's all."

 

Rey is almost convinced, and she knows he can tell, "I don't know, Ben, I need to go find Rose, and get bac—" 

 

"Do you want to see a waterfall?"

 

She pauses. His small smile turns into a toothy grin, and she scowls at him.  _ How does he know her so well? _

 

_ A few hours away from the city won't hurt, _ she tells herself.

 

"Fine, I'll come, but I need to be back in Theed by tonight." She says, and he squeezes her hand, before leading her back into the streets, in the opposite direction of her friends. 


	2. waterfalls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this is late but suddenly inspiration struck i hope y’all enjoy

"Where are we?" Rey asks in awe. 

 

They had been traveling down a river for nearly an hour, and now they had come across a large building, sitting on a hillside, directly on the water. 

 

"Varykino." He says, watching as she looks around at everything. "The Naberrie Lakehouse. It belonged to my grandmother's family." 

 

The boat they've been travelling in drops them off at a small dock, and Ben is the first to get out, securing the canoe to a post before offering Rey his hand. Typically she would despise the gesture, but this was her first time in a boat, and she was unsure of herself as she made her way out of it.

 

"Does anyone still live here?" She asks, as they enter through golden doors into the home.

 

"I believe a few cleaning droids stay here permanently, but after my grandmother died, they decided to leave it be, out of respect to her." He explains.

 

"Your grandmother is from Naboo," She says it more as a statement, rather than a question, as she recalls the stories that Leia had mentioned before the mission.

 

"Yes, she was born and raised here, and later led her people as their queen." He says, guiding her through a few hallways. 

 

"What else do you know about her?" 

 

"Probably everything my mother told me, she has told you." He tells her.

 

They make their way out onto a stone balcony overlooking the water. Rey closes her eyes, savoring the slight breeze that comes off the lake, as she stands against the stone ledge.

 

"Can you see beyond the hills?" Ben asks.

 

She opens her eyes to look out. In the distance, Rey can see mountains that look like they are moving. They shift and flow behind grassy hills, and she squints her eyes, nodding.

 

"Those are the waterfalls."

 

"Wait, those are water? They look like mountains!" Rey exclaims, looking on in amazement.

 

Next to her, Ben chuckles, watching her in amusement.

 

She is quiet for another moment, before looking over at him. His hair is wavy, and moving slightly in the breeze, and she thinks to herself that she likes seeing him in softer colors like brown; it makes him much less intimidating, than when he is wearing black.

 

"You know, my grandmother was seduced on this very spot." He comments.

 

Rey's eyes widen, "To the dark side?" She asks, "Leia never mentioned she had the Force!"

 

Ben laughs, "No, she didn't have the Force. She was seduced in a more romantic sense."

 

"Oh." Rey's face reddens. What's he trying to say? " _ Oh _ ."

 

He smirks, leaning against the ledge, turned to face her, "Oh, yes, through talks of sand, and—"

 

"Sand? He seduced her with  _ sand _ ?" She asks incredulously, unable to hide her disgust.

 

He laughs, "Well, he went on about how the desert was rough, whereas here, everything is soft... he just got distracted and wouldn't stop talking about his hatred for sand." 

 

"I don't recall Leia ever telling me that part of the story." Rey laughs. 

 

She is silent for a moment, reflecting on her thought while watching the setting sun reflect on the water.  _ Why did he bring her here, of all places on this majestic planet? _

 

“So,” she begins, hesitantly, “Do you share your grandfather's hatred of sand?”

 

Rey hopes her point gets across, hopes he understands what she’s truly asking him. She’s still staring down at the water, but when she shyly looked up at him, his eyes are glued to her. 

 

“Do you?” He asks, pushing the confrontation back to her.

 

Rey laughs, “Yes, of course, I grew up on Jakku, sand is terrible.” She receives a chuckle in return, smiling at his laughing figure, before turning serious. “So, your grandfather’s complaints were very much justified.”

 

He holds eye contact with her;  _ is she saying what he thinks she’s saying?  _

 

He gently takes hold of her hand, “Rey,” he says softly, the breeze caressing their cheeks, as he gazes down at her, “Please, come with me. We can go wherever you want, we can fix the galaxy, and change everything—“

 

“It’s not that simple, Ben,” Rey replies, quietly, looking down at her feet. 

 

“Why can’t it be?” he huffs, “I have power, and a place in the galaxy to change things—“

 

“Then why aren’t you?”

 

“I need you! I need your help, I need your neverending light, to guide me in the right direction. I’m abrasive and impatient but with you… we could take our time, do what’s right—“

 

“But I can’t, Ben!” She cries, tears falling from her eyes, “I can’t come with you. I have a place in the Resistance, and I can’t just leave them. They are my family. I would be lonely without them.” 

 

“I’m lonely without you.” 

 

Ben closes his eyes for a moment, his lips pressed into a firm line. The words carry a deeper meaning, the feelings they’ve been dancing around for months now weigh heavy in the air surrounding them. 

 

He gazes in her eyes, his own holding more emotion that Rey previously thought was possible, “Rey, I— I lo—“ 

 

Just then, her comm beeps, signaling an incoming message. Rey let’s go of Ben’s hands and fiddles around with her belt, taking the comlink and turning it on.

 

“Rey? Where are you?” Finn and Poe’s faces emit from the device in that staticky blue hue.

 

“I, uh… not in the city anymore,” Rey flushes, moving to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m at a lake house; Varykino?”

 

She looks over to where Ben still stands, leaning against the railing, staring out at the lake, away from her. 

 

“Kriff, Rey! How did you end up there?” Poe exclaims.

 

“Uh, the Force led me here?” Rey sputters, hoping its convincing enough. The Force has quickly become her scapegoat when it case to explaining to her friends matters that pertained to Ben. 

 

Even though his back was turned, she was sure he was rolling his eyes. 

 

“Well, we are at the spaceport and we just got clearance to take off, should we wait for you or do you want us to come get you?” Poe asks, visibly fiddling around with controls in the cockpit.

 

At this Ben turns, his eyes worried but unclear as to what he wants her to do. Their conversation was left unfinished, but Rey was scared to see what would progress and she didn’t think she could handle it. 

 

So she said, as she gazed at Ben’s unknown emotions, “You can pick me up here, there’s a field not too far from here, I’ll send the coordinates.”

 

He turned around at this, back facing her. She quickly said her goodbyes to Finn and Poe and shut off the comm. 

 

She took a deep breath before slowly walking over to Ben. 

 

“Ben, I—“ she started, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. Everything hung in the air, but she felt like she couldn’t see through any of it. 

 

Rey placed her hand on top of his, “There is so much left unsaid.” 

 

He murmurs his agreement. 

 

“But this isn’t the end. There’s always hope for the outcome we want. The outcome we deserve. Today just isn’t the end, yet.”

 

She runs her hand over his cheek, feeling the rough softness of his stubble, before turning and leaving. 

 

She makes her way through the house and across the field, to where she finds her crew waiting for her. She doesn’t look back, once. 

 

This isn’t the end, she knows it. And one day, they will find a solution, find a way to make it work. She shed a tear knowing today wasn’t that day. 

 

——

 

Rey returns to the base in two days time, falling onto her bunk in her shared room with Rose. But just as she nearly drifts off to sleep due to exhaustion, Rose shakes her shoulder, telling her the General is asking to see her. 

 

Rey quickly strides down to Leia’s quarters, eager to see the woman who had fallen ill in the previous week. 

 

She looks better, as she lays upright in her bed, and Rey smiles at the woman who easily became a mother figure to her. 

 

“Rey, how was Naboo?” The older woman asks, as Rey sits down in the chair beside her bed. 

 

“It was lovely.” Rey gushes, “The mission was quite painless, surprisingly, so we got to explore for a bit. The planet is beautiful.” 

 

Leia smiles at her words, remembering the first time she went to Naboo herself. They discuss the mission a bit, as Rey catches the General up on what happened while she was resting. After the brief talk of business, Leia gently rests her hand on top of Rey’s. 

 

“And how was Ben?” she asks nonchalantly, as if the question was about the mission, as if the question didn’t involve her estranged son she missed dearly. 

 

Rey is shocked for a moment before replying. “He is well. As well as he can be at least. He seemed burdened by something slightly, but I couldn’t tell. Usually his emotions are written upon his face but this time it was like a small part was missing, hiding.” She says, recalling the way he looked off in the distance when he didn’t realize she was watching him. She decides to save the declarations of love for another day, another conversation. 

 

“Leia,” Rey pauses, “how did you know?”

 

Leia smiles at the girl, before reaching into the drawer of her bedside table to retrieve something. She gently pulls out a small velvet bag, and hands it to Rey. 

 

She curiously opens it, confused as to how this relates to Naboo, but when she spills the contents of the bag, she sees the golden necklace from the marketplace, as well as a note.

 

_ “To the hope for our happy ending. _

_ Until we find it, Ben” _

 

She looks back at Leia with tears in her eyes. She made her choice, and the comforting hug she receives from Leia reminds her why she chose this path. 

 

Her heart is with the Resistance; with her family, Leia, Finn, Poe, and Rose; and with the light. But that didn’t mean her heart stopped wanting Ben. 

 

Now she could carry with her something that reminded her of the man to which her heart belonged to, until they found their happy ending. 


End file.
